If Only
by cvg16
Summary: Signs, destiny and choices. A dire prediction from a fortuneteller forces Chiaki to explore the depths of his feelings for Nodame. My 1st ever fanfic, 1st ever publication on the net don't even have a blog PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW. Thanks so much!


**If Only**

**Prologue**

She's done it again.

She has somehow coerced him into coming to this silly little fair in this quaint little village, on their last night in England.

"I want to hold hands while riding the Ferris Wheel, senpai. I want to feed you cotton candy and I want you to win a giant teddy bear for me!"

"What's this about holding hands? And you can just go feed yourself cotton candy. How can you stand eating that stuff? Shouldn't you be watching your weight? You can't get into your dresses already as it is."

"Senpai!" came the disgruntled reply.

In the end, Nodame still got her way, which is why he was sitting here on this bench eating the remnants of the sickeningly pink cotton candy which Nodame discarded when she discovered the popcorn stand and indulged in heavily buttered popcorn.

She came running towards him carrying an arm load of Puri Gorota merchandise she bought from one of the booths.

"Senpai!" she shouted happily as she came barreling towards him…and he could only watch as she slipped on the scattered gravel, landing near his outstretched legs, Kazuo, Gorota and Puririn dolls flying.

"Gyabo!"

She stood up immediately, gathered her dolls and hurtled herself at him without bothering to dust herself off.

"Senpai!" she wailed.

"Oi. You got dust all over my shirt."

"Nodame scraped her elbows" came the whining reply. Then, as if nothing happened, she chattered on, "I saw this fortune teller booth on the way to the Puri Gorota stand. Let's get our futures told!" She pursed her lips and said in that childlike voice of hers, "Lately, Nodame has been wondering how many children we will have. Wouldn't it be nice to know, so we can get ready, he, senpai?"

"What children are you talking about? As if I would ever have children with a hentai like you!"

In a rare move, Nodame said, "Fine, I'll go by myself. But don't expect me to tell you how many boys or girls we will have! Please take care of Gustav." and she detached herself from him and stormed off, dumping the Puri Gorota dolls on his lap...with a huge snowy white teddy bear he grudgingly won at the shooting range, christened Gustav by crazy Nodame, sitting beside him on the bench.

She was not yet back. He has already waited for 20 minutes and she was not yet back. Images of Nodame joyriding in the Ferris Wheel, terrorizing small children, flashed though his mind. Throwing away the uneaten cotton candy, and hauling Gustav and miscellaneous other Puri Gorota items, Chiaki decided to come after Nodame to the fortune teller's booth.

With a heavy purple curtain covering the arched entrance, the fortune teller's booth appeared dark and mysterious. He was getting very annoyed as he stood in front of the entrance. By now, they should be getting back to their hotel for a nice dinner and to have enough time to pack their things for tomorrow's journey back to Paris. He was starting to worry that Nodame might be getting hungry…all she ate all afternoon was junk.

He crossed the doorway, using his outstretched arms carrying the stuffed toys to bat away the curtain, and said impatiently, "Oi Nodame! Let's go!"

From the corner of the room, a low female voice said _"Hold close those you hold dear, because once lost will forever be gone. Time heals, but it doesn't wait." _

"He? Ok, madame, where is my companion and what nonsense has she told you?"

"_On the day after the next, beware the signs. Earth, Water, Wind and Fire. The earth shall move beneath your feet. The waters shall break above your head. The wind shall come blowing music. The fires shall kindle and burn. Earth, Water, Wind and Fire. On the day after the next, beware the signs." _

A small pause…where Chiaki could only say "Huh?"

"_Because after the signs manifest,"_ Chiaki watched as a lone teardrop fell from the corner of the fortuneteller's right eye, _"All you can do is hold close those you hold dear, because once lost will forever be gone. Time heals but it does not wait."_

"Senpai!" Nodame's voice came from behind the heavy curtains that served as the booth's entrance. "I've been looking all over for you"

Then as if coming out of a trance, the fortune teller's seemingly vague eyes snapped to attention.

"Would you like me to tell your fortunes, dearies?" the fortuneteller said with a much more exaggerated accent compared to the low voice that she was using while speaking a while ago.

"Oh yes please!" exclaimed Nodame.

"Oi, I thought you already had your fortune told?"

"Mukya! Nodame got sidetracked for a while. I saw a stand selling something delicious so Nodame made a detour. Roasted peanuts?" Nodame offered, while holding out a huge bag of roasted peanuts towards Chiaki.

"Stop it already. I would really want to go back to the hotel."

"But, I haven't found out how many children we're gonna have! How will we know what color to paint the nursery?"

"Stop your crazy imaginings. If you really believe in this kind of stuff, at least ask the fortune teller something about what will happen to your career, and not some nonsensical things like how many children we will have."

"Oh, Nodame knows what will happen to her career. She will become a famous pianist and play with the different orchestras in Europe. Of course, she will play the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 with Chiaki-senpai. Nodame will play it with no one else."

"So it's the Rach 3 now, he? Ambitious, aren't we? What happened to Piano Concerto No. 2?"

"Ano…Nodame has already played it with senpai at Momogaoka, right? Nodame has really, really grown to love the Rach 3. And there is no need to ask the fortune teller all these things, because Nodame will do her best and won't settle for anything less. Nodame will not stop until her dreams come true" A vision of Nodame with her jaw set with a stubborn and committed expression with a determined looking mongoose behind her came up in Chiaki's subconscious as Nodame was making her little speech.

"Besides, Nodame still has to keep up with Chiaki-senpai after all," she finished, muttering.

This side of Nodame never ceases to surprise and admittedly, flatter Chiaki. Still, he was very proud of all the progress that Nodame has made and he didn't want her killing herself out of some misguided notion that she has to "keep up with him."

"Yoohoo, dearies, I'm still here." exclaimed the fortune teller somewhere in the background.

"Yes! Nodame would like to know how many children, and their genders, I will have with this man."

"Oi…"

"Ok, let's see. Hold out your left palm, dear. Oh, I see you will be married during the autumn season. You will have five children, three boys and two girls. Oh, what a lovely family you will have!"

"U-wa! Three boys and two girls! Shinichi did you hear that? That sounds wonderful! I shall tell my mother right away, so she can get started with her sewing." Then with pursed lips, her voice turning coy and childish at the same time "But, senpai, isn't five a little too much? Nodame didn't know Shinichi would be so…_voracious_…in… uh, making _music_ with Nodame…in the bedroom." she finished with a blush.

"Oi, stop with your hentai thought already! As if I would even…" Chiaki couldn't even finish the thought, let alone his sentence.

"That would be £4." The fortune teller said, breaking through their argument.

"What! £4 for a lousy, made-up fortune?!"

"Gyabo! Nodame only has £2 left after the roasted peanuts."

Of course, Chiaki ended up paying the fortune teller. Nodame skipped off while he made the payment. While he was handing the fortune teller the bills, he asked, "Madame, what was that you were saying about signs? Something about the earth and fire or something?" _I can't believe I'm asking this_, he said in his mind.

"I don't know what you're talking about, my dear boy," came the reply. But as Chiaki walked away, he gave one last look at the fortune teller, who gave him a sad smile in return.

Their trip back to Paris was as uneventful as it could be, with Nodame as his companion. He was about to fall asleep during their train ride when the low voice replayed inside his head "…_On the day after the next, beware the signs. Earth, Water, Wind and Fire. The earth shall move beneath your feet. The waters shall break above your head. The wind shall come blowing music. The fires shall kindle and burn. Earth, Water, Wind and Fire. On the day after the next, beware the signs." _

**First Half**

The next day, they were back to life in Paris as usual. Somehow, he ended up sleeping in her place. Her apartment was still as messy as ever, the only difference was that the piano was somehow held off-limits to all the mess, and that her manga, anime and other miscellaneous otaku merchandises were in the same quantity as the piano books, sheet music, classical music recordings and videos and composer biographies. Nodame has already graduated from the Conservatory and was slowly, but steadily making her name in the music world. She currently makes a living by giving out parlor concerts (and the requests were increasing in number) and by giving piano lessons to young kids, who enjoyed her lively, if somewhat unconventional, lessons. She has also placed in a few local competitions and was preparing for the Long-Thibaud competition as of the moment.

"Ano, senpai, it's morning already. You might be late for your rehearsals." Nodame said sleepily from her side of the kotatsu.

That had Chiaki up and running in no time. Nodame continued to sleep, while Chiaki got ready. Before he left, he gently shook Nodame awake.

"Nodame, I'm leaving. I reheated the croissants from yesterday, made scrambled eggs and sliced up the peaches. Get up before your coffee gets cold." He whispered in her ear.

With that, Nodame gave him a sweet smile and said, "I love you" before going back to sleep.

Shaking his head, Chiaki set the alarm clock to ring after 30 minutes. He figured she needed the rest after practicing up to the wee hours of the morning for the competition. She could just drink the coffee cold. Before leaving, he made a quick note and gave one last look at Nodame as he closed the door.

His note said, "There's ice on the fridge. You might as well have iced coffee because by the time you get up, it'll be cold. Croissants and scrambled eggs are ready for nuking in the microwave. Your Liszt was amazing yesterday."

Chiaki was in a good mood during the rehearsal. Due to the increasing popularity of the Roux-Marlet orchestra, they have been invited to provide the music for a performance by the Paris Opera Ballet for an upcoming charity event. The ballet company would be performing _Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet_ and it was a good opportunity for the Roux-Marlet to stretch their repertoire.

As they were practicing the romantic balcony scene from the ballet, the stands holding the sheet music started to shake. The crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling began to sway. The orchestra members abruptly stopped their playing, ending with a screeching _Squack!_. Theo came running form the office and shouted, "Earthquake! Nobody panic!" and proceeded to throw himself beneath a table.

It wasn't really that strong an earthquake, and no one besides Theo was panicking. There was nothing left to do really, except to wait it out. The earthquake lasted for about 2 minutes and no major damage was done to the building or any of the furniture. Still, Chiaki allowed the orchestra members 10 minutes to check up on their friends and family.

He himself was slightly worried. He whipped out his cellphone and called Nodame.

"Senpai! Did you feel the earthquake too?" Nodame asked as soon as she answered the phone.

"Are you ok?"

"Hai! It was scary, my Puri Gorota wind chimes started to chime crazily, I thought the ceiling was about to fall. I threw myself on top of the piano so the debris won't damage it."

"Baka! You thought about the piano but not yourself?! You should have stayed beneath the piano! So what if debris falls on it? At least the debris won't fall on _you_." Chiaki was almost shaking in anger now.

"But Nodame wasn't hurt senpai! And the piano wasn't hurt either. Turns out the only things falling from the ceiling are the cobwebs that I uh, um…wasn't able to reach the last time I cleaned the place."

"And since when have you ever cleaned out your place?!" He couldn't believe they were talking about cleaning her place when she could have easily been beaned on the head by her damned Puri Gorota wind chimes!

"Was Shinichi worried? Don't worry! Nodame wouldn't leave you. It would take more than the shaking of the earth to tear us apart." Nodame said in a dramatic voice. He wouldn't be surprised if she was mimicking one of the characters from her animes.

"Baka! Next time, stay in a safe place. The orchestra members are coming back. I have to go now. Better continue practicing on that piano you love so much."

"Ah no, but Shinichi also loves the piano!"

"Nodame, I love _your_ piano." Then he hung up.

The Roux-Marlet orchestra members did not know what possibly could have happened during the 10 minutes it took for them to talk to their loved ones. But within the span of those minutes something happened to transform their conductor to the devil Chiaki they were all familiar with. They played the portion of Romeo and Juliet's death over and over, with him making almost desperate-sounding comments like _"More sorrowfully! Don't you understand the scene?! Romeo has just seen Juliet in the catacombs and believes her dead!"_ and _"Play it with more grief! Honestly, people, don't you know the pain of losing someone you love?"_

Chiaki thought he would stop by Nodame's place first before he went to his own apartment. He would like to see how she was doing after the earthquake scare. He was walking towards the doorway of the building when what seems like a pail-full of dirty water fell on his head, getting his Hugo Boss jacket wet in the process.

"Ah, sorry senpai. Nodame was just cleaning the cobwebs from the ceiling and the piano. I didn't know you were standing beneath my window." Nodame was all apologetic when he looked up through his wet hair to the open window on the floor above.

"Next time, look before you throw away your dirty water like that. You got my jacket all wet." He glared daggers at her.

"Gyabo! Nodame would have it dry-cleaned for you, You don't have to look at me like you want to _drown_ me in my dirty water."

"Never mind. I'll come up. I need to change shirts."

"Hai! Your shirt from the other day is still here. And I washed it too!"

"Baka! _I _washed it."

After he has gone to the trouble of washing his hair and changing shirt, Nodame insisted that he help her practice her competition piece. There was a portion in the piece that she couldn't quite get right and he made it repeat it over and over again.

"Follow what's written on the score! This is a competition! You can't go back to your sloppy ways!"

"I know that! But I can't quite get what the composer wants to convey here! I want to get to know this composer much better. I keep asking questions but he doesn't _want_ to answer!" He could feel that she beginning to feel frustrated.

"The answers are all in the music. If we just practice it a bit more, you'll see the composer's intentions. Come on, Nodame."

"No! Nodame doesn't want to play anymore. Senpai, I need a break!"

Looking at her pitiful and haggard face, he relented. She proceeded to open the window, to look at the moon, as she was used to doing. Their practice session has stretched from late afternoon to early evening. Nodame drank in the sight of the moon, which amazingly, did not change whether she was looking at it from Japan or from here in France. She sighed as a breeze blew in through the windows, cooling her heated face, warm from perspiration and exertion.

"Nodame!"

She turned back and saw her sheet music blowing all over the place.

"Why isn't your sheet music all stapled nicely?!" Chiaki exclaimed as he scrambled to pick up all the sheets flying everywhere. "And for heaven's sake, close the window!"

Nodame hurried to comply and helped him in picking up the papers. Unfortunately, Chiaki did not notice her Kazuo doll (the one she got on the fair) on the floor, and she watched as he stepped on it and slipped, papers flying in all direction. He looked so ridiculous sprawled on the floor, sheet music floating all around him.

Inspite of the situation and the murderous look on Chiaki-senpai's face, an old song she heard from one of her American, Bob Dylan-obsessed classmates popped ridiculously into her head.

"The answer my friend, is blowing in the wind, the answer is blowing in the wind…" and Nodame proceeded to laugh like a loon.

After properly securing and binding the scattered sheet music, they decided to stretch their break to dinner. As usual, Chiaki was making the dinner and Nodame was mostly just watching. However, he needed to make the dressing for the salad and asked her to watched the chicken being grilled on the make shift grill on the gas stove.

He was just whisking the vinaigrette when he heard "Fire!" He quickly put down the bowl he was holding, turned and saw Nodame trying to put out the flame by _fanning _the chicken breasts. He shoved her aside and quickly turned of the gas. Really! Nodame was the only person in the world who could screw up _grilling_ chicken.

With nothing else edible in the place, he suggested they just walk to a nearby café. Nodame could hardly subsist with just the salad for dinner.

They got to the café and placed their orders. They sat in companiable silence as they waited for their dishes. Then, out of nowhere, Nodame spoke.

"Ano, senpai, I just want to thank you for taking very good care of me. Nodame will do her best in this competition so she can _win_, and not just place." She continued in a determined voice, again the image of the determined mongoose popping into Chiaki's subconscious, "I want Takashi, Tamaki, Shinichi, Jr. Midori and young Megumi to be proud of their _okasan_."

"Heh?" Nodame's line of thought was so out of this world that for a moment, Chiaki was slow to pick up.

"I want our children to be proud of their dear mum."

"Oi, don't go naming our children already! And who said I'd have children with you?!"

"I can wait until the next few autumns until you're ready senpai. I'm sure your mother would also need a lot of time to prepare for the wedding."

The only sound that could be heard after the disbelieving silence from Chiaki is Nodame's "Gyabo" as Chiaki slapped the table napkin to her forehead.

They were on their way home. Chiaki was holding Nodame's hand as he pulled her along the streets. For some reason, he couldn't quite get the image of Nodame sitting on the piano with a pint-size version of her (young Megumi indeed!) out of his head. He glanced back to Nodame, who looked back at him with a smile crinkling her eyes. Seeing the childlike joy on her face, he couldn't stop the small, answering, exasperated smile stretching his face.

Then it dawned on him. He couldn't imagine his life without Nodame and her music. That isn't to say he'd go as far as to _marry_ her. But he also acknowledged that Nodame was _necessary_ to him. He owed her so much. And there wasn't any other person in the world (except maybe his mother) who knew him better and accepted him the way he was. If the future does come to it, maybe he wouldn't mind having little Takashi, Tamaki, Shinichi, Jr, Midori and Megumi running around. _But all in good time, and certainly not this autumn_.

Distracted by these recent realizations, Chiaki, and Nodame as well, didn't quite notice a truck careening on the street. They were still silently looking at each other, saying words with their eyes when suddenly, they heard someone shout "Look out!"

And then everything went pitch black.

When Chiaki woke up, he was in a hospital bed, flanked by Streseman and a doctor. He was still groggy from sleep and medication but he looked around him for Nodame. Even in his condition, he couldn't help but rationalize that whatever state she was in, or he was in, she wouldn't be far away.

"Where's…Nodame?"

The doctor spoke first. "Ah, I see you're back. Well, Shinichi, you've been out a couple of hours but nothing major was damaged, nothing that time can't heal. You broke five ribs and your left arm. I'm sure with therapy, you'll be able to play the violin and piano again."

"You…didn't answer my question. Where's Nodame?" Chiaki said starting to get up from the bed.

"Chiaki." Streseman said quietly, so quietly and seriously for someone like Streseman that it was beginning to scare him.

"Chiaki," he began again. "Nodame-chan bore the brunt of the impact. The truck driver was drunk, and he swerved off the street catching the pedestrians unaware." Tears were now streaming down Streseman's face. "I'm afraid Nodame-chan is lost to us forever."

"What are you saying? Is this a joke? Some kind of twisted joke? Because if so, I don't have time for your sick tricks, old man."

"I'm sorry, but this is no joke. Nodame suffered from massive internal bleeding. The doctors couldn't do anything about it."

"You're lying! Why would you be so cruel?" Even as he shouted at Streseman, Chiaki was already disentangling himself from whatever wires and tubes were attached on him. Before the doctor and Streseman knew it, he was off the bed and out of the room, walking with ground-eating strides as if he was not suffering from five broken ribs and a broken arm. Guided by an instinct that seemed to connect him to her, he found Nodame in an empty operating room.

"Oi, Nodame, wake up!" he said to her still form on the bed. "You still have to practice for your competition. You don't have much time you know."

"Nodame" he touched her cheek, and quickly snatched his hand back. Her cheeks were cold, deathly cold.

"Megumi…" he trailed off. "Wake up, come on. Please? Please, please wake up?" He was clutching her shoulders now. She seemed so small and frail in sleep. He could not, _would not_, entertain the thought that she was dead. But her hair lay limp now, instead of standing out all over the place. Her lips, more often than not pursed or pouted, were turning blue. And her hands, her large hands lay lifeless at her side.

"No! You're not doing this to me! Do you hear me Nodame? I won't accept this! Now, get up!"

Streseman caught up with Chiaki before the doctor could. He could only watch as his normally cool student went hysterical before his eyes. He watched as Chiaki went from scolding Nodame, to cajoling her to wake up, to scolding her again and then finally, he watched as his proud student begin to beg.

"Please, please wake up Nodame. I'm begging you. I'll make breakfast and dinner for you everyday. I'll do your laundry. I'll let you tape Puri Gorota over my videos. Just please wake up."

"We…We could get married in the autumn, my mother would handle everything. We could even work on Takashi, even before the wedding, if you want. But please wake up…" Tears were steadily falling from his face but his voice remained steady. He was holding her cold, cold hand.

The doctor has finally caught up with them and Streseman couldn't stand it any longer.

"Shinichi, she's gone. The doctors did all they could to save her. But the bleeding and the impact were just too much."

"No! She's just sleeping! I'm not leaving her here. Do you hear me?"

"Shinichi, they have to take her away. Her family has been informed already and they want to bury her in Japan. They would need to prepare her body."

"She's staying here with me. She's not going anywhere."

"I'm sorry Shinichi," said the doctor.

Streseman watched as it took one doctor and two nurses to pull Chiaki away from Nodame, despite the five broken ribs and broken arm. He saw the doctor signaling a third nurse for some sedative. The nurse stealthily injected the drug into Chiaki and it took but a few seconds for the drug to take effect. Chiaki pitched forward, but Streseman held him upright, not unlike the way Chiaki always held him upright during any one of his major hangovers. As Chiaki succumbed to the drug, he whispered, "How am I going to live without her?" Then he went limp.

Chiaki Shinichi was in an airplane. Everything around him was chaotic – the scene the same as his previous nightmares. He glanced at his right side, fully expecting his mother to be beside him.

Instead, he saw the fortune teller, the one from the English fair. Despite the pandemonium all around, everything about the fortune teller seemed to have stood still, as if everything happening around her was in slow motion, and she was unaffected by it.

"_Earth, water, wind and fire. Earth, water, wind and fire." _The chanting of her low voice continued but the fortune teller beside him was not moving her lips and was just looking at him with that sad smile.

The same flight attendant from his dream was standing at the center aisle. But instead of her usual lines she was frantically saying, _"Please heed the signs. Please heed the flashing signs above your heads."_

Then to his left was the sight he most dreaded in his dreams - the dying Vieira fan. But in this nightmare, instead of the old man, it was Nodame lying limply on the airline seat, her head lolling, her right arm trailing lifelessly on the aisle floor. Instead of the man's wife, it was Streseman who was trying to shake Nodame alive.

And instead of the bouncing pill bottle, Chiaki was trying to reach for the rolling time-piece that Nodame used to hypnotize him.

But like in his nightmares, the elusive thing he was trying to grasp will forever be out of his reach.

**Second Half **

Chiaki woke up with a start – and promptly bumped his stomach on the kotatsu that he was sleeping under.

Then out of nowhere, scaring the living daylights out of him, "Ano, senpai, it's morning already. You might be late for your rehearsals." Nodame said sleepily from her side of the kotatsu.

Now _that_ really had Chiaki up and running. He got up, checked his ribs for injury (he found none), and his left arm (which was unbroken). He gently pulled a violently protesting (but very alive) Nodame from under the kotatsu. Before she knew it, he was running his hands all over her body, checking for injuries.

"Muki! What is senpai doing?! It's too early for the honeymoon. We aren't even married yet." Nodame protested feebly with a blush, Chiaki's physical examination definitely jolting her awake.

Chiaki just hugged her and said to her hair, "Thank God you're alive." Then he kept on muttering under his breath, "It was just a nightmare, it was just a nightmare."

"Well, senpai hasn't quite managed to kill me just yet. But you might do me in right now. You're squeezing the life out of me."

"What? What did you say? Never mind. Come on, I'll make you breakfast. What would you want? You want the croissants we had yesterday?" Then as if he thought better of it, "Oh no, no, no, that wouldn't do. I'll make blueberry pancakes instead."

"Eh? But Nodame doesn't have the ingredients for pancake. Leftover croissants will be fine. Besides, Chiaki senpai would be late for rehearsals."

"The orchestra can wait for a few hours." Without any warning, Chiaki was out of her apartment.

"Gyabo! Is senpai sick? _The orchestra can wait for a few hours?!_"

Apparently, Chiaki went door to door to scrounge up the ingredients for blueberry pancakes. Nodame could hear the disgruntled and irritated voices of her neighbors and she heard more than two doors bang _very loudly_ shut.

Before she knew it, Chiaki was setting blueberry pancakes, with choices of honey or maple syrup on the table. There were also strawberries and cream on the side, with a platter of bacon, plus a mushroom, onion and cheese omelet (how he managed to bully her neighbors for these items, she doesn't even want to think about). Lastly, he served freshly squeezed orange juice.

"U-wa, senpai served five-star all the way! I feel like one of those cows in Japan who just get fed first-class food and don't move a muscle."

Despite the scare he received, Chiaki Shinichi couldn't quite help himself.

"Baka! Those cows aren't pampered pets, they're for Kobe beef. They'll eventually end up slaughtered."

As it happens, Chiaki was only a few minutes late for rehearsals. He was in a good mood during the rehearsal. As they were practicing the insidious and heavy sounding _Montagues and Capulets_, the theme of the masquerade ball (which was before the balcony scene) from _Romeo and Juliet,_ the stands holding the sheet music started to shake. The crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling began to sway. The orchestra members abruptly stopped their playing, ending with a screeching _Squack!_. Theo came running form the office and shouted, "Earthquake! Nobody panic!" and proceeded to throw himself beneath a table.

It wasn't really that strong an earthquake and there was nothing left to do really, except to wait it out. As Chiaki waited for the 2 minutes to pass, he was struck by an odd sense of déjà vu. Then, a whisper…

"_Earth, water, wind and fire. The earth shall move beneath your feet. The earth…the earth…earth"_

Chiaki was jolted, as if a sign flashed above his head. Then he began to feel a trace of fear.

As Theo came out from under his table, he was thinking of asking the conductor for a 10-minute break to allow the members to check on their loved ones. He couldn't believe his eyes when all he could see as he emerged from his hiding place was a blinding light coming from the open theater doors, and the silhouette of their resident conductor as he left in the middle of practice.

Chiaki was breathing hard when he got to Nodame's apartment. He raced up the stairs and knocked with frantic urgency. Nodame threw open the door at his insistent knocking.

"Senpai! Did you feel the earthquake too?" Nodame asked as soon as she opened the door.

"Are you ok?"

"Hai! It was scary, my Puri Gorota wind chimes started to chime crazily, I thought the ceiling was about to fall – "

"You didn't do anything stupid like throw yourself on top of your piano, right?" Chiaki interrupted, talking over Nodame's narration.

"-- I threw myself on top of the pia – U-wa! Is senpai psychic? Do you have ESP?"

"Baka! You thought about the piano but not yourself?! You should have stayed beneath the piano! So what if debris falls on it? At least the debris won't fall on _you_." Chiaki _was_ shaking in anger now...and in fear.

"But Nodame wasn't hurt senpai! And the piano wasn't hurt either. Turns out the only things falling from the ceiling are the cobwebs that I uh, um…wasn't able to reach the last time I cleaned the place." She averted her eyes as she finished her story, a sure sign she was lying.

"And since when have you ever cleaned out your place?!" He _still_ couldn't believe they were talking about cleaning her place when she could have easily been beaned on the head by her damned Puri Gorota wind chimes. Heck, now he was beginning to fear that Nodame being hit on the head was the least of his worries.

"Was Shinichi worried? Don't worry! Nodame wouldn't leave you. It would take more than the shaking of the earth to tear us apart." Nodame said in a dramatic voice.

"What was that about the shaking of the earth?" _Earth._

"Even with the earth, moving beneath our feet, Nodame and Shinichi will stand solidly as one!" There was a fierce, determined look on her face.

"_The earth shall move beneath your feet…." _ The ominous words echoed in Chiaki's head.

"Ah, senpai, let me just get my cleaning brush and some water so I can clear away the cobwebs."

"No! That's ok. I – I'll do it later. For now, can we get out of here?"

"But I need to practice. Gyabo! And why are _you_ here? Why aren't you at rehearsals? Ah-no, senpai must _really_ be sick." She placed the back of her hand on his forehead to feel his temperature.

"No, no, no. I just need a…a break." This time, Chiaki was the one who averted his eyes.

"U-wo, you must be – _burned up_?"

"It's burn _out_ not _up_, baka! And no, I'm not burned out, I just want to take a break."

"Uh, you decided this in the middle of rehearsals?"

"That's right."

"Ah, and do the orchestra members know that you decided this? Because, senpai, Theo is standing at my doorway."

Theo was indeed standing under the open doorway of Nodame's apartment, breathing hard, as if he _tried_ to run after somebody.

"Chiaki, is there an emergency? Why did you leave so abruptly?" he said in between gasps.

"Err."

"Senpai, you should go back to your rehearsal. Nodame also needs to get back to practice."

"It's ok. Theo, let the concertmaster lead the rehearsals for now. I'm taking the rest of the day off."

"Right-o. I'll be leaving now. Bye Mrs. Chiaki!"

"He?! Senpai, is something the matter? You're not yourself. You must _really_ be burned out. Ah-no, I'll play something to cheer you up." Then she started to play her Moja Moja Suite.

"Oi, stop that already. I thought you said you want to practice?"

"Yes, but this is also exercise. I actually wanted to get in a few hours of practice at the Conservatoire, since they're letting me use one of the practice rooms and Auclair-sensei can look in on me, but the dust and cobwebs that fell on my piano distracted me. I wanted to clean it up before I left."

"Never mind the cleaning up." _Especially if you have to use water_, a voice said in Chiaki's head. "Let's just go to the Conservatoire." Without giving her a chance to protest, he grabbed her arm and pulled her out the door.

On the street on the way to the Conservatoire, Chiaki had a death grip on Nodame's arm, with his gaze darting around the corners of the streets, seemingly watching out for something.

They were on a piazza, about a block from the Conservatoire. Chiaki could already hear strains of music coming from the school. He was pulling Nodame towards the building, when he abruptly stopped.

"Ummph." Nodame collided against his back.

"Liszt's Mephisto Waltz. Dance at the Village Inn. Someone's practicing it from the Conservatoire."

"U-wa, senpai has sonar ears. Like dolphins!"

"Let's go." Without any warning, Chiaki swung Nodame into his arms and started to waltz.

"Mukya! What is senpai doing? We're in the middle of the _piazza_!" _Last time he did this, we were both drunk_, she thought. _Bingo! We can always pretend we're drunk, _her perverse reasoning continued with a mental evil grin. So she held on tight as Chiaki lead her on a series of steps and turns.

And they danced in the middle of the plaza, in the middle of the afternoon, like drunkards at a village inn.

Birds were chirping. There were children playing around them on the plaza park. As they twirled and danced around, all Chiaki could think about was, "_Whew, at least I averted the "water" incident. Everything was really just a nightmare._"

Only then could he enjoy the familiar yet somehow strange feel of Nodame in his arms. _This is something I could get used to, _as he felt a new-found appreciation of Nodame on a new level.

Nodame was laughing out loud as she tried to catch up with his steps. He was about to laugh right back, feeling joyously carefree, when he felt something cold and wet splatter on his head.

The plaza fountains have been opened.

Nodame just laughed harder while they were being drenched by the fountain water. Shinichi has abruptly stopped dancing and she fully expected him to start complaining madly. Instead, he looked at her with an expression she couldn't quite identify but with something akin to fear. Then he surprised her by pulling her close and burying his face into her hair.

They continued to sway to the sound of an invisible orchestra as the fountain waters break above their heads.

"Senpai, let's just go to your place. You got your jacket all wet." She eyed his expensive looking Hugo Boss jacket. "You'll need to have that dry-cleaned."

"Never mind. Come on, let's go. I need to change shirts. And you need to change too."

"Hai! My clothes from the other day are still there."

"Yes. And I washed it to," Chiaki replied in a somewhat bitter tone which puzzled Nodame.

In truth, Chiaki was definitely scared to his soul now, as he heard himself replay a familiar yet altered conversation with Nodame. Every element of what he thought of was just a nightmare was recreating itself in real life. _Earth, water, wind and fire_. At this rate, there were only just two elements left – wind and fire.

This prompted Chiaki into action. He rushed Nodame to his apartment where they changed clothes. _"By God, we'll stay here, safe, until all this craziness has passed,"_ he thought.

Dry-clothed, Chiaki was looking in his cupboards for dinner ingredients. He was wondering what was taking Nodame so long in the apartment's only bathroom, which was in the bedroom.

He proceeded to the room, fearing the worst and thinking she might be drowning in the bath tub. When he opened the bedroom door, he saw that Nodame has lined up her music sheets – her _wet_ music sheets on the bed and was drying them using a hair blower. He wasn't certain where she got the hair blower, since he certainly doesn't own one and Nodame obviously doesn't _use_ one. He supposed it's his mother's – an item she left at the place when she visited him a few months back.

Unfortunately, the open door let a strong gust of wind into the room, and the drying papers fluttered from the bed, flying in all directions.

"Gyabo! Senpai quick, close the door!"

Chiaki hurried to comply and helped her in picking up the sheets.

And from somewhere in his apartment complex, surely from an American occupant, a song drifted in…

_I close my eyes, only for a moment, and the moment's gone_

_All my dreams, pass before my eyes, a curiousity_

_Dust in the wind, all they are is dust in the wind_

_Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea_

_All we do, crumble to the ground though we refuse to see_

_Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind._

_Don't hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky_

_It slips away, all your money won't another minute buy_

_Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind_

_Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind_

_Dust in the wind, everything is dust in the wind…everything is dust in the wind…_

With a feeling of inevitability, Chiaki Shinichi was forced to face what he was avoiding all day. At this late time in the day, it was clear that his nightmare was recreating itself in real life. Even if he tried to change the events of the day, the same _elements_ manifest themselves. Now he was down to _fire_.

The earth has already moved beneath their feet. The waters broke above their heads. The wind came blowing music.

What does a person do when his worst nightmares are coming to life? He was now trembling with fear -- fear that maybe, if he let the fates have their way, he would have to prepare for a lifetime without Nodame.

_No! I won't let them take Nodame away from me. Even if I have to tie her down to a chair here in this apartment. Even if I have to put a leash on her. We'll stay here all night. Then nothing could possibly happen._

"Nodame -- Megumi…will you marry me?"

"Gyabo! What?!

He was on his knees – well, because he was picking up Nodame's sheet music, when he suddenly blurted out his proposal.

"I said, _will you marry me_?"

"Why? I told you I could wait –"

"No, we're not waiting anymore. Well, we could have the ceremony in autumn but – " he cut off then turned red " – well, _we're_ just not waiting anymore."

"Mukya! Senpai is that eager, ne? My _sex appeal_ training must have paid off – "

"Nodame…is that a yes or a no?"

"Yes! I can't wait to tell my mother. She –"

Whatever she wanted to say was cut off by Shinichi's lips as he engaged her in a passionate kiss. All he could do was hold Nodame close, his other arm sweeping sheet music off the bed, the flames of their passion all-consuming …

Shinichi was groping about the other side of his bed for Nodame and found himself grasping thin air. His wife-to-be certainly had a lot of stamina. He meant it when he asked Nodame to marry him. His wasn't a pity proposal – after all, Nodame dying could just be a by-product of his morbid imagination, despite all the signs. _This_…his mind taking in the rumpled sheets…just _happened_. It was just fortunate that it fell into his plan of keeping Nodame indoors, supposedly 'otherwise occupied', then eventually, too bone-tired to even move. _Just a precaution_, he thought. But apparently, Nodame has more energy than he did. He heard her rustling about in the bathroom and he happened to glance at the clock. It was just 11:00 pm. An uneasy feeling came over him as he realized that the day wasn't over yet.

Nodame emerged from the bathroom carrying a lighted glass-sized candle.

"Look what I found senpai! It's a scented candle. Your mother must have used it during one of her bubble baths. It's rose-scented. Ah-he, I'm hoping this would create the mood for round 2." She said with a slight blush.

"Nodame –"

"Shin – Gyabo! Fire! Senpai, my hair is on fire!"

Quick as lightning, Shinichi was beside her and was using his bare hands to bat away the flames. The fire was small and was extinguished in no time with no damage to Nodame – well, except for her hair, which was already atrocious to begin with. It was nothing a little time, hair treatment, and a haircut wouldn't cure.

The damage was mostly on Chiaki's hands, which were blistered.

"Ah-no, senpai, we need to get you to the hospital. Your hands might get infected."

They got dressed with minimum fuss and were soon their way. They were just about to exit the apartment when Chiaki said "I can go to the hospital by myself. You just wait here."

Nodame looked at him as if he was crazy. Without saying a word, she swept passed Chiaki (who could hardly grab her to try and stop her given the condition of his hands). She took charge as she pulled Chiaki by the collar.

"Nodame, please. You have to listen. Just wait for me at the apartment. I'll be ok."

"_Shinichi no baka_. How could I possibly let you go alone? " When Nodame slips into her protective persona, nothing could sway her. She turned deaf to all of Chiaki's pleas and hailed a cab to take them to the hospital.

She was silent for a while, then she spoke.

"Ano, senpai, I just want to thank you for taking very good care of me. It was because of me that this happened to you." She continued in a determined voice -- the picture of a determined mongoose, "But this time, Nodame will take care of you. Nodame can juggle being a wife and an up-and coming pianist. I want senpai to be proud to have me for his wife. I want Takashi, Tamaki, Shinichi, Jr. Midori and young Megumi to be proud of their _okasan_."

This time, all Chiaki could say was, "Uhuh. My mother would be delighted to arrange the wedding for us this coming autumn."

"Mukya! I can't wait!"

They were nearing the hospital. Nodame couldn't hold Chiaki's hand due to his blisters. For some reason, she couldn't quite get the image of Chiaki waiting for her at a make-shift altar at a garden, surrounded by huge trees with yellow, orange, red and gold leaves floating about, out of her head. She glanced back to Shinichi, who looked back at her with such an intense expression. Seeing the banked fire in his eyes, she couldn't help but sober up and respond with a speaking glance of her own.

Then it dawned on her. She couldn't imagine her life without Shinichi. Now her goal of marrying him has finally come true. But now after many years of living semi-independently and achieving a mild form of success, she also acknowledged she _can_ live without Chiaki. But she didn't _want_ to live without him, and now, with great joy, she realized that she wouldn't have to. They'd be together till death parts them. She owed him so much. And there wasn't any other person in the world who knew her better and accepted her the way she was. Little Takashi, Tamaki, Shinichi, Jr, Midori and Megumi don't have to be just figments of her imagination. _Wow, this autumn already?_

Distracted by these recent realizations, Nodame, and Chiaki as well, didn't quite notice a truck careening on the street. They were still silently looking at each other, saying words with their eyes when suddenly, they heard someone from the street shout "Look out!"

And then everything went pitch black.

When Nodame woke up, she was in a hospital bed, flanked by Streseman and a doctor. She was still groggy from sleep and medication but she looked around her for Shinichi. Whatever condition he might be in, Nodame _knows_ that he would take care of her.

"Where's…Shinichi?"

The doctor spoke first. "Ah, I see your back. Well, Megumi, you've been out a couple of hours but nothing major was damaged, nothing that time can't heal. You broke six ribs. I'm sure with therapy, you'll be able to play the piano again soon."

"You…didn't answer my question. Where's Shinichi?" Nodame said starting to get up from the bed.

"Nodame-chan." Streseman said quietly, so quietly and seriously for someone like Streseman that it was beginning to scare her.

"Nodame…" he began again. "Chiaki bore the brunt of the impact. A truck driver was drunk, and he swerved to the opposite lane catching your cab driver unaware…" Tears were now streaming down Streseman's face. "I'm afraid..."

**Epilogue**

_Ten years later…_

Nodame was standing in front of a tombstone, the wind blowing her hair and her skirt.

_Thank you for teaching me so much about music and about life. Thank you for your guidance. Thank you for taking care of me. Thank you for being there. Thank you...thank you._

Tears were now falling uncontrollably from her eyes, after all this time, all these years. In her mind, she looked back at all the memories she had with this man. Oh yes, she was grateful. The world was a lesser place with his absence. _Her_ world was a lesser world due to his absence.

"Nodame."

"I know, I know. I'm coming."

Chiaki Shinichi put his arms around his wife and pulled her close.

"I know you miss him, sweetheart. But Milch wouldn't like it if he knew you were crying this much over him. He never did like seeing a woman cry."

"_Chiaki, you failed…You made a woman cry." Streseman had told him all those years ago. _

Nodame was smiling through her tears as she recalled the same memory.

Now, they were visiting his grave. He died 3 years ago from liver cancer.

"Well senpai, using the same logic, you really _are_ a failure. You made me cry at our wedding." She recalled the beautiful autumn wedding organized by Madame Seiko. Incidentally, Nodame wasn't the only person who cried at her wedding. Madame Seiko went through 5 handkerchiefs during the ceremony alone. Masumi practically tugged his hair bald and was also bawling 10 minutes into the ceremony.

"You made _me_ cry during your labor for Takashi, Tamaki, Shinichi, Midori and Megumi. You nearly twisted my arm off each time."

"Ah-he! The pain was only _really_ intense up to my labor for Tamaki. For Shinichi, Midori and Megumi, I _really_ was just twisting your arm for kicks." That earned her a light tap on the forehead.

Shinichi let his thoughts drift to his children. Young as they are, they're already showing signs of musical genius. He was proud of all of them. And Nodame, true to her words, embodied a true superwoman and is juggling her very successful career as a world-renowned pianist and being a mother to their children. Really, he had a lovely family.

Out of nowhere, an old memory, one of an old fortune teller, surfaced. He had a lot of time thinking about the fortuneteller's words during his extended stay at the hospital after their car accident. A lot of reflection time was spent on those bizarre happenings and up to now, Chiaki doesn't know what happened. All he knows is that all he can do is hold close those he holds dear. And Chiaki thought, _"Well, in a way, she got some things right."_

_The earth still trembles every time he hears his wife's music, its power like a rage of water crashing and breaking over his head. Everywhere in their airy home, the wind blows music, childish pieces and complicated pieces floating in the air. And the only fire that continually kindles and burns is his passion and love for Nodame. _

But that £4 prediction, _that_ she got wrong…

Nodame continued "But Shinichi, what about during my first labor for Fumie?"

_They didn't have five children._

"You were too tired to notice…but I passed out."

_They had six. _


End file.
